Simi Officer Critically Wounds Resident Armed With Rifle

A Simi Valley police officer shot and critically wounded a 42-year-old man Saturday night after the man walked out of his home in the Bridle Path neighborhood and pointed a rifle at the officer, authorities said

Wesley Simpson was hit in the stomach when Officer Jeff McGreevy fired one round from his 12-gauge shotgun about 8 p.m., said Sgt. Mike King. Simpson was then taken to Simi Valley Hospital where he was listed in very critical condition.

Police had been dispatched to Simpson's home at 1490 Mellow Lane after receiving an emergency 911 call at 7:45 p.m. from Simpson's distraught 20-year-old daughter. The daughter told dispatchers there was a family fight in progress and that her father had a rifle, King said.

The daughter also told police dispatchers that her father had been drinking alcohol, King said.

As McGreevy and two other officers approached the residence, Simpson confronted police outside and pointed his rifle at McGreevy, King said.

The shooting remained under investigation late Saturday. It was unclear whether Simpson or McGreevy said anything before the officer fired his shotgun.

Residents of the quiet, winding street said the sound of the shotgun blast drew them from their homes.

"Right now everybody's standing on their front porch trying to figure out what's going on," said Joelayn Oberg. "Stuff like that doesn't happen here. It's just really unnerving."

The affluent Bridle Path neighborhood winds through the hills south of Simi Valley and is crisscrossed by equestrian trails. Some residents keep stables on their lots, which are deeper that normal to accommodate horses.